Why do laptops have high-frequency noises (coil whine)?
Sometimes, high-frequency noises are emitted from laptops when in use; these noises are not emitted from the speakers or the fan. This type of noise is usually called a “coil whine”. “Coil Whine” is a normal physical phenomenon; it usually appears in electronic components. There is usually vibration when current passes through electronic components and coils, which will emit high-frequency noises. This is a normal behavior when laptops are operating; it has nothing to do with hardware damage.
What is “Coil whine”
When current passes through inductors, the coil will vibrate with a certain frequency based on the current intensity. Under specific circumstances, when electronic components are vibrating with a frequency that reach the human ear can receive, high-frequency noises can then be heard, and that is the so-called “Coil whine” (the Electromagnetically induced acoustic noise).
Why is there “Coil whine”
GPUs, power supplies, hard drives or motherboard all contain coils. When “Coil whine” occurs, the vibration noise is usually emitted by high-power components, especially in the CPU or GPU areas. According to different software applications, when the CPU or GPU is frequently used and under different levels of load applications (such as playing games, editing videos or converting files, etc.), this high-frequency resonance can be heard more easily.
How to avoid “Coil whine”
The physical resonance, Coil whine, can be heard more easily in a relatively quieter noise environments, or for people who can hear high frequencies more easily or are sensitive to high-frequency sounds. MSI tries its best to reduce the level of these resonance sounds in all of its laptop products; however, this type of physical phenomenon where high-frequency noises caused by the resonance of electrical components is the same for any laptop manufacturer, and cannot be eliminated 100%.